TropWATER: JCU's Centre for Tropical Water and Aquatic Ecosystem Research

Congratulations to Dr Paula Cartwright on being awarded a fellowship from the Australia India Women Researcher’s Exchange Program.   Dr Cartwright will spend eight weeks with the Indian Institute of Technology Bhubaneswar working with leading experts in remote sensing.   Her project will develop techniques to track key indicators of water health from space – such as water clarity and algae growth – to improve water quality monitoring in Australian coastal ports. This work will support sustainable environmental management, with a particular focus on the Great Barrier Reef region.   https://lnkd.in/gtAuPQ_n Australia India Institute James Cook University IIT Bhubaneswar

Our researchers recently joined Yugul Mangi and Numbulwar Numburindi Rangers on Sea Country, mapping seagrass meadows around southeast Arnhem Land. This will form the foundation of a Ranger-led ongoing seagrass monitoring program, with researchers providing monitoring tools and training to support Sea Country management.

Congratulations to Brisbane City Council on being awarded a 2024 Australian Biosecurity Award for ‘Keep Mulgumpin (Moreton Island) Cane Toad Free’. TropWATER’s environmental DNA (eDNA) laboratory has supported this valuable program since 2019, analysing water samples to detect cane toad DNA. Mulgumpin (Moreton Island) is home to internationally-recognised wetlands, saltmarsh, tidal flats, and freshwater lakes – but cane toads pose a significant risk to the island’s wildlife. Early detection of cane toad incursions on the island using eDNA and other tools have played a crucial role in keeping Mulgumpin cane toad free. https://lnkd.in/gXDQA5aD 📷 TropWATER and Sterling Herron (iNaturalist)

Understanding groundwater connections on Country with Ewamian Rangers 💧 Researchers recently spent two days on Country with Ewamian Rangers, with the Rangers providing a tour of their vast Country including Talaroo Hot Springs. They were joined by Tagalaka Rangers who were invited to learn more about the Ewamian Ranger program and discuss future collaborations. This was part of a larger fieldtrip led by TropWATER’s Dr Paula Cartwright, where researchers travelled to the Gilbert River catchment to investigate groundwater-dependent ecosystems. They tested water for indicators of groundwater, water quality, and environmental DNA alongside drone surveys of habitats along waterways. These surveys will improve our understanding of groundwater connections and the ecosystems they support. This work is part of the Cooperative Research Centre for Developing Northern Australia (CRCNA)’s Water Security in Northern Australia Program. Read more: https://lnkd.in/gTA3VmrQ James Cook University

Last week, we wrapped up our second annual coral Spawning School 🪸 TropWATER scientists and Reef Recruits staff were joined by Gunggandji, Gunggandji-Mandingalbay Yidinji, Jabalbina, Mandingalbay Yidinji, and Yirrganydji Rangers for over a week of hands-on training in the aquarium and the lab. We cared for 10 corals collected from Pixie Reef, carefully gathering spawn bundles and helping along the first stages of embryo development. Together, we collected and cared for around 200,000 coral larvae. Rangers and scientists settled the 7-day old larvae on ceramic cradles (coral seeding devices) designed to provide protective homes for these baby corals. After 24 hours, we studied where the larvae chose to settle to see which device design the larvae prefer – providing key information for planning future community-led reef restoration. Spawning School is led by TropWATER’s Cairns-Port Douglas Reef Hub in partnership with Reef Recruits and funded by the Australian Government’s Reef Trust Partnership. Read more about the Cairns-Port Douglas Reef Hub: https://lnkd.in/g23fdK52 Great Barrier Reef Foundation James Cook University

Can water hyacinth enhance agricultural soil health? #WorldSoilDay TropWATER’s Dr Adam Canning investigated the potential of mulch made of water hyacinth – an invasive aquatic weed – to improve soil fertility on farms. The study compared hyacinth mulch, woody mulch, or no mulch on soils at a macadamia farm, a lychee orchard, and a grazing pasture in Rockhampton. The experiment used environmental DNA techniques to identify microbes in the soils. This provides clues to soil health, as microbial diversity can support important natural processes like nutrient cycling and disease suppression. The water hyacinth mulch supported microbes linked with nutrient cycling and decomposition – but this varied across the different farms, suggesting mulch types should be chosen to match specific agricultural and environmental needs. Read more: https://lnkd.in/gCD_mgkp James Cook University

Graziers have collected 300 water samples from their local waterways over six wet seasons to help track how sediments flow from land into the Great Barrier Reef. Our scientists are training landholders across the Bowen-Bogie-Broken catchments to collect water samples as part of the Landholders Driving Change program – and communicating the challenges with sediment loss in the region. Land use changes have led to increased soil erosion, resulting in large volumes of sediment being washed into rivers and the Great Barrier Reef lagoon. Much of this sediment is fine-grained, and is harmful to the Reef. Data collected by landholders is helping to identify sediment hotspots to prioritise remediation efforts across the catchment, filling critical gaps in water quality science. The program is a partnership between NQ Dry Tropics and James Cook University TropWATER. https://lnkd.in/g2cHAEB8

TropWATER’s Assoc Prof Nathan Waltham recently attended a symposium in the United States hosted by Restore America’s Estuaries to gain insights into how US-based programs are managing coastal restoration. During his visit, Associate Professor Waltham participated in a Nature-Based Solutions workshop on coastal restoration and protection with the US Army Corps. He also visited the Chesapeake Oyster Alliance’s project to restore 10 billion oysters to local waters. This was a valuable opportunity to build networks and explore how to establish science-based monitoring for large-scale coastal wetland restoration projects involving a diverse range of stakeholders.

Congratulations to TropWATER’s Dr Cecilia Villacorta Rath, who has been awarded a Queensland Smithsonian Fellowship. Dr Villacorta-Rath will train in environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding techniques to assess habitat health on the Great Barrier Reef. This will provide key skills in advanced eDNA techniques applied to marine environments – boosting the capabilities of the TropWATER eDNA laboratory and opening up opportunities for new projects. Dr Villacorta-Rath will spend 10 weeks in Panama, training with leaders in DNA metabarcoding and marine microbiome research at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI)’s Symbiosis & Resilience Lab. Read more: https://lnkd.in/gmGp7yuN

Habitat recovery and restoration were key themes at this year’s Australasian Mangrove and Saltmarsh Network conference in Brisbane last week. TropWATER’s Professor Norm Duke – founding member and facilitator of the Australasian Mangrove and Saltmarsh Network – posed questions about how intertidal habitats are responding to climate change. A key outcome from Norm’s work is a standardised set of indicators to assess how mangroves are impacted by major change events, such as cyclone impacts, rising sea levels, and catastrophic flooding. Understanding how and why intertidal mangrove environments are changing is crucial to managing vital recovery and restoration efforts for these valuable habitats. The conference brought together around 100 researchers, Traditional Owners, coastal managers, community group members and industry representatives to share their experiences studying and caring for intertidal ecosystems.